POLITICS OF MEMORY IN YEMEN PART 2: YEMEN’S JEWS, MODERN LIFE AND HERITAGE

The Yemen Times
BY Ghaidaa Alabsi
May 30, 2013
Yemen may very well lose its Jewish community as more Yemeni Jews immigrate to Israel. All that we may be left with is the memory of Yemen’s Jewry.
Most of the remaining Jews in Yemen live in a guarded compound in Sana’a after having been driven from their homes in Sa’ada by the Houthis in 2007.
Hood, a local human rights organization in Yemen, has criticized these tough security measures imposed on the Yemeni Jews.
In a letter sent to directors of National Security, Political Security, and Interior Ministry, Hood said that the Yemeni authorities impose a restriction on the Jews that—despite claims that it is for the community’s safety—could be described as “prison.”
“Those are Yemeni citizens,” the letter went on, “and they have constitutional rights to freedom of movement and expression. Banning them from an interview and the media or meeting visitors or the like are crimes violating their constitutional rights and restricting their humanitarian freedoms guaranteed by the legislature in the texts of articles (41-42-48) of the Constitution of the Republic of Yemen.”
As Yemen was moving toward transition period following a three decades' long dictatorial presidency under Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Jews of Yemen sought political recognition by demanding to be allocated seats in Parliament.
Yemen Chief Rabbi Yehia Yussef Mussa told CNN Arabic back in May 21st, 2012, “I demand the government’s pay attention to [us], to work to allocate seats for members of the community in the Consultative Council and Parliament, in order to experience real citizenship, non-discrimination, a right guaranteed by our law and the Constitution,” he said.
Mussa emphasized at the time that his community hoped to serve the country to the best of its abilities, just as any other Yemeni would, regardless of their religion.
A local NGO called Sawa also protested the exclusion of the Yemeni Jewish community from a national conference that was meant to promote dialogue between various groups in the country for shaping the future of the country after the transition period that started after the ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down from power in 2011.
Jewish heritage
Still, many Yemenis say they appreciate the heritage of their country’s Jews.
In the Great Mosque in Sana’a old city, a guard, whispering as pious men pore over Korans, points out Jewish carvings. In the village of Jibla, south of Sana’a, locals show the Star of David on an ancient synagogue, now a mosque.
The remains of Jewish life in Yemen is still visible today through distinctive Jewish architecture—whether in the decoration of buildings or the Jewish temples.
“The Jews left, but Judaism is still in Yemen,” one man said. Another man also admitted that, in his experience, Yemeni Jews remember the traditional songs of the country better than the Muslims.
Across the country, many Yemenis still remember this name: Shalom Ben Joseph Shabbezi, or Salim Al-Shabzi.
Shabazi was a Yemeni Jew poet, who lived toward the end of the 17th century in Taiz. He wrote liturgical poems in Hebrew and Arabic, some pieces alternating between the two languages from verse to verse.
As well as religious poetry, Shabazi wrote love songs.
Shabazi is considered a saint by Yemeni Jews, and some say that he performed miracles. His tomb is in Ta'iz.
Shabazi is also respected by Yemeni Muslims, who to this day recite his poetry.
This piece was adapted from a longer research paper by Ghaidaa Alabsi, a MA Student in Political Science at Poland’s Warsaw University.June 5, 2013Posted on No Comments

The Yemen Times
BY Ghaidaa Alabsi
May 30, 2013

Yemen may very well lose its Jewish community as more Yemeni Jews immigrate to Israel. All that we may be left with is the memory of Yemen’s Jewry.

Most of the remaining Jews in Yemen live in a guarded compound in Sana’a after having been driven from their homes in Sa’ada by the Houthis in 2007.

Hood, a local human rights organization in Yemen, has criticized these tough security measures imposed on the Yemeni Jews.

In a letter sent to directors of National Security, Political Security, and Interior Ministry, Hood said that the Yemeni authorities impose a restriction on the Jews that—despite claims that it is for the community’s safety—could be described as “prison.”

“Those are Yemeni citizens,” the letter went on, “and they have constitutional rights to freedom of movement and expression. Banning them from an interview and the media or meeting visitors or the like are crimes violating their constitutional rights and restricting their humanitarian freedoms guaranteed by the legislature in the texts of articles (41-42-48) of the Constitution of the Republic of Yemen.”

As Yemen was moving toward transition period following a three decades’ long dictatorial presidency under Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Jews of Yemen sought political recognition by demanding to be allocated seats in Parliament.

Yemen Chief Rabbi Yehia Yussef Mussa told CNN Arabic back in May 21st, 2012, “I demand the government’s pay attention to [us], to work to allocate seats for members of the community in the Consultative Council and Parliament, in order to experience real citizenship, non-discrimination, a right guaranteed by our law and the Constitution,” he said.

Mussa emphasized at the time that his community hoped to serve the country to the best of its abilities, just as any other Yemeni would, regardless of their religion.

A local NGO called Sawa also protested the exclusion of the Yemeni Jewish community from a national conference that was meant to promote dialogue between various groups in the country for shaping the future of the country after the transition period that started after the ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down from power in 2011.

Jewish heritage

Still, many Yemenis say they appreciate the heritage of their country’s Jews.

In the Great Mosque in Sana’a old city, a guard, whispering as pious men pore over Korans, points out Jewish carvings. In the village of Jibla, south of Sana’a, locals show the Star of David on an ancient synagogue, now a mosque.

The remains of Jewish life in Yemen is still visible today through distinctive Jewish architecture—whether in the decoration of buildings or the Jewish temples.

“The Jews left, but Judaism is still in Yemen,” one man said. Another man also admitted that, in his experience, Yemeni Jews remember the traditional songs of the country better than the Muslims.

Across the country, many Yemenis still remember this name: Shalom Ben Joseph Shabbezi, or Salim Al-Shabzi.

Shabazi was a Yemeni Jew poet, who lived toward the end of the 17th century in Taiz. He wrote liturgical poems in Hebrew and Arabic, some pieces alternating between the two languages from verse to verse.

As well as religious poetry, Shabazi wrote love songs.

Shabazi is considered a saint by Yemeni Jews, and some say that he performed miracles. His tomb is in Ta’iz.

Shabazi is also respected by Yemeni Muslims, who to this day recite his poetry.

This piece was adapted from a longer research paper by Ghaidaa Alabsi, a MA Student in Political Science at Poland’s Warsaw University.